Doweled slab construction



Feb. l, E938. c. F. DAVIS ET A1. WMS

DOWELED SLAB CONSTRUCTION l Filed April 23, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. l, 938- c. F. DAVIS ET A1. ZAOMS DOWELED SILAB CONSTRUCTION Filled April 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f3 Another .important object of the invention is the opposite edge With a corresponding and com- Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATEN- l*cernes i DOWELED SLAB CGNSTRUCTON Clarke F. Davis, Short Hills, John G. Brush, Westfield, and Robert H. Peck, Elizabeth, N. J., assignors to American Cyanamid 85 Chemical Corporation, New York, N. Y;, a corporation of Delaware Application April 23, 1937, Serial Ne. l38,5l8

4 Claims. (cm2- 40) 5 The present application is a continuation in penetration of the latterby the former. Such a partei co-pending application Serial No. 702,008. construction is of particular advantage in the Y The present invention relates to building conmolding operation, because the one reinforcestructions embodying precast slabs of set cemenment properly locates and supports the other '5 titious material. duringthe casting and setting period. 5

The principal object of the invention is the The invention further contemplates the novel vprovision of a building construction embodying combination, construction and arrangement of such slabs, where the slabs are suitably tied to parts more fully hereinafter described and shown a neighboring slabl Without the use of plaster or in the accompanying drawings. Y

i the like, yet which construction can be readily In the dravvings- 10 dismantled Without undue injury to the slabs Fig. l illustrates a Wall constructed according themselves. to this invention;v y l Another important object of the invention is Fig. 2 isl asectional lvievv along the line Z-Z the provision of a building construction includof Fig. l; and Y' y Y" i d Y l5 ing slabs with reinforcements therein, which re- Fig. 3 iS 2f DSI'SPCCVB VGWO` 2 Wall SlflOWDg 15 iniorcements may be utilized as a tying or dovvelits manner of erection. ing means between slabs. Referring novi more particularly to the em` Another important object of the invention is bodiments illustrated, the shorter filler slabs are the provision of a building construction such as Shown composed of a cementitious body material a wall or the like using mullions extending prefl Vof any desired material Which will hold its f erably the full height of the Wall, with shorter form upon setting, compression, baking or the precast slabs between mullions, all being tied tolike, and with or Withoutl admixtures and llers gether by dovveling means initially cast into the such as wood chips, orthe like. It is provided on slabs. one longitudinal edge With a tongue 2 and on the provision of a building construction involvplementary groove 3. While the tongues and ing such mullions and iiller s labs Where each is grooves here illustrated are shown as consisting complementarily tongued and grooved so as not of truncated Wedges, yet obviously they may be `only to facilitate alignment during erection, but surfaces of revolution. This tongued and to serve vto prevent lateral displacement of the grooved interengagement assists materially in individual slabs with relation to the others. aligning the several slabs during erection.

To this end, the invention in its broadest Cast within the slab at the time of manufacture -SPSC, COIlempla'eS a building Construction are a series of lateral reinforcements 4 preferably made of precast slabs wherein those slabs have of an extent co-extensive Ywith or equal to the Cast therein during their manufacture metallic lateral Width of a slab so that the ends of the rereinforcements of such a nature that when the inforcements are discernible and accessible at Gemelltltlolls material Of Which tht) Slab iS made 01 near the edges 0f the Slabs. For instance, the sets, there will be more or less of a bond beends yof the vreinforcements i are clearly shown tween the metal element and the material of within the groove 3 in Fig. 3.. Obviously any o the slab body. It is preferable that such slabs number of these reinforcements may be used, 40

be'tongued and grooved along opposite longitudependent upon the dimensions of the slab i. dinal edges so as to insure alignmentduring as- Similarly, longer and l narrower slabs 5 may sembly or erection. be formed With similar lateral reinforcements The invention also Contemplates the 11S@ 0f therein and these longer, narrower slabs may be i; millions. that is. Slabs comparatively long as to used asY mullions. In such event, it is desirable their Width and, where used in a Wall, extending to provide longitudinal reinforcements 5 which substantially the entire distance between the in this case may be channel irons also cast in floorand ceiling, With shorter iiller slabs located the slab at the time of manufacture. Where the therebetween. The invention also contemplates lateral reinforcement l penetrates the longitudithe use or longitudinal reinforcements embedded nal reinforcement 6, a particularly desirable con- 5o Within the mullions inasmuch as these longer dition exists during the casting operation, inasslabs are relied upon to lend rigidity to a Wall much as this engagement definitely locates these containing them. In some instances, the invenparts and prevents juxtaposition during that tion contemplates the interengagement of the operation. A particularly rigid structure results lateral and longitudinal reinforcements such as after the cementitious material has set. These 55 mullions are preferably made of a length equal to the height of the wall to be erected and of a width to suit the circumstances. It is desirable, of couise, that the total Weight of a slab be such that it may be readily handled by two men and such is the case with the mullions of Fig. 3. They are, therefore, considerably narrower than the filler or intermediate slabs I.

In erecting a wall, for instance as that shown in Fig. 3, a mullion 5 is placed against the wall l already erected, a nail punch or the like is placed against the exposed end of the reinforcing dowel 4 and struck a blow to drive the dowel partially out of the mullion and into the wall 1, such as is shown at the left hand end of Fig. 2.

Experiments have conclusively demonstrated that these reinforcements may consist of metal rods placed in the slab during the molding operation and that the bond between the slab body and the reinforcement is not so great that it cannot `be broken during the driving out operation without injury to the slab itself. This bond may be decreased to the desired extent by dipping the dowels in oil or the like prior to casting the cementitious material therearound. In any event, when the initial bond is broken, there is still sufficient frictional engagement between the slab and the reinforcement to prevent accidental separation of the two.

After mullion 5 has been secured `to wall 1, a light wood wedge may be driven between the end of the mullion and either the floor or ceiling to prevent accidental movement thereof. 'I'his will not, in any event, detract from the appearance of the nished wall, because such wedge, the

space on each side thereof and even the face of Y against and the dowels therein partially driven therethrough into the mullion. This may then be repeated for filler slabs Ib and lc with the result that this section of the Wall is not only secured in place by the tongued and grooved edges, but all parts thereof are doweled together.

If openings such as a window are desired in the wall, a metal frame 8 may then be made to rest upon the ller slabs la, lb, and Ic, the verticalA portion of the frame 8 abutting and overlapping the lateral edge of the mullion 5.

Additional ller slabs I may then be placed above the frame 8 and secured between the ceiling and the frame 8 by wedges and also to the previously erected slab by partially driving the dowels thereinto. In this way, a complete wall may be erected.

It is desirable that mullions be placed at regular intervals between a series of filler slabs in order to lend the necessary rigidity to the wall as a whole. The frequency with which such mullions occur will, of course, be dependent upon the height, extent and thickness of the wall, and the degree of rigidity desired.

Obviously, door frames 9 may likewise be incorporated into the wall in much the same Inanner as the window frames 8.

When the end of the Wall is reached, it may be necessary to cut one or more slabs longitudinally to fit the remaining space. Such a situation is shown at the right hand end of Fig. 1. In this case, the dowels are first completely removed from the slab and then the slab sawed lengthwise to create a slab of the desired width.

The slabs above the door or window frames may be cut laterally to fit that space without difculty due to the fact that they contain no 1ongitudinal reinforcements.

The above system provides a very eflicient and standardized method of construction, particularly where the doorV and window frames are made in widths which areY multiples of the slab widths.

The slabs may be staggered as with a break joint arrangement or not as desired.

In dismantling or moving a wall of the type illustrated, it is simply necessary to break out the cut slabs at the extreme right hand end shown in Fig. l, whereupon the remaining'slabs may be readily pulled apart, the dowels driven back in place and the entire wall reassembled in some other location. 'I'his type of slab has, therefore, a particularly high salvage Value.

The entire wall may, after erection, be provided with any suitable type of finish such as paint, plaster, paper or any combination.

While the invention has been shown and described with particular vreference to certain embodiments, yet these embodiments are for the purpose of illustration only, and the invention is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted only by the scope of the claims.

We claim: Y

1. A wall construction extending between the floor and ceiling comprising spaced apart mullions extending the full height of the` wall, each mullion comprising a precast slab having longitudinai and lateral reinforcements therein, opening frames carried between mullions and resting upon filler slabs shorter than the mullions, the filler slabs having lateral reinforcements therein, some of the lateral reinforcements of the mullions extending into the filler slabs and vice versa.

2. The wall of claim 1 in which both mullions and filler slabs are tongued and grooved together.

3. A wall construction extending between a fioor and ceiling, comprising spaced apart mullions extending substantially the full height of the wall, each comprising a precast slab having a lateral reinforcement therein, shorter filler slabs located between the mullions, each of said filler slabs having a lateral reinforcement therein, a lateral reinforcement of one mullion extending into one ller slab and vice versa.

4. A building construction comprising a series of precast slabs tongued and grooved together, at least two slabs being longer than the others, each of said. longer slabs having an internal longitudinal reinforcement, the shorter slabs being arranged in a series of rows between the longer slabs, all 'slabs having lateral reinforcements, said reinforcements of the longer slabs entering the shorter slabs and vice versa.

CLARKE F. DAVIS. J OI-IN G. BRUSH. ROBERT H. PECK. 

